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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Review of Edge of Infinity ed. by Jonathan Strahan

Jonathan
Strahan introduces his second Infinity anthology Edge of Infinity (2012) with the simple line: “Welcome to the Fourth Generation of science fiction.”Citing the development of the genre from
childhood into adulthood, he believes the current iteration of sf is “a post-scarcity period of incredible
richness and diversity.”What
follows are fourteen stories from some of the top writers in the field that
utilize a variety of modes and perspectives.Do they indicate sf has achieved another level in its growth?If yes, it isn’t definitive.

A
pleasant exercise in style possible only in science fiction, the anthology
opens with “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out For Sushi” by Pat Cadigan.About biologically modified workers employed
in orbit of Jupiter, the reader learns of a relationship changed by the switch
from biped to sushi.Perhaps more an
exercise in worldbuilding, Cadigan nevertheless proves her 90s’ fiction was not
the bottom of the barrel and Strahan may be on to something.I find novel-length work not to be Elizabeth
Bear’s strength, rather her short fiction, and with “The Deeps of the Sky” my
assumption rings true.As alien as
fiction can be, the story describes one insectoid’s attempt to please the
queen, and the unexpected meeting he has while working hard.Are realistic alien perspectives Fourth Gen
material?

With
“The Road to NPS” by Sandra McDonald and Stephen D. Covey the reader is
hard-pressed to believe we’re in the Fourth Generation of sf.A traditional, straightforward science
fiction yarn that could have been published in 1935 as easily as 2015, it tells
of a man whose labor contract on Europa is about to end, and the risky venture
he has to get rich after.Another story
that I’m not sure sets itself apart from previous generations of genre is James
S. Corey’s “Drive.”A bit of male, hard
sf hand-wavery, this prequel to Leviathan
Wakes details the discovery of one particularly key piece of
technology.Accomplishing little else,
it could have come from the pen of Larry Niven fourty years ago and none would
be the wiser.Another story set in a
larger universe (which may, unfortunately, require knowledge for full enjoyment)
is the goofily titled “Macy Minnot's Last Christmas on Dione, Ring Racing,
Fiddler's Green, the Potter's Garden.”Part of McAuley’s ongoing Quiet War series, it tells of a woman who
satisfies her estranged father’s last request to have his ashes scattered on
the moons of Saturn, and the life lessons she learns in a frontier
environment.Not ground-breaking
material, but nevertheless engaging reading.

The
classic material continuing, Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s “Safety Tests” tells of a
license examiner for space pilots who has a most unusual happenstance in the
middle of an exam one day.A simple,
easy to read piece that follows the formula for good storytelling, it also
disappears easily from the mind when the last word is read.Far less transparent is Gwyneth Jones’
“Bricks, Sticks, Straw.”About
scientists who are remotely researching the solar system via avatars, trouble
finds them when a storm knocks out electricity on Earth.Like Cadigan’s story, Jones uses
abstract/neologistic language to ease the reader into her universe, but overdoes
it a little; her story lacks the coherency of Cadigan’s.

Suffering
the woes of many a hard sf story, Stephen Baxter’s “Obelisk” captures a very
nice idea but is betrayed by its lack of quality characterization.Utilizing the life vs.work balance as its
point of tension, it tells of two men who seek to industrialize Mars, and the
tragedy that befalls them—a tragedy that would have been all the more tragic
were the men presented in gray rather than black and white.The lack of subtlety continues in Alastair
Reynolds’ “Vainglory.”Taking an idea
from Schismatrix (i.e. asteroid
carving for art), the dichotomy of the price of fame simplifies rather than
expands Sterling’s initial concept.(If
Sterling was Third Generation, then Reynolds’ story must represent a regression
rather than progression.)

Living
up to Strahan’s Fourth Generation proclamation is Hannu Rajaniemi’s “Tyche and
the Ants.”A post-human bedtime story,
it requires detachment from the reader to fully enjoy, as any close scrutiny of
the Jade Rabbit, Moon Girl, Hugbear, or the Brain AI falls apart—just like any
good children’s story.Another story
more contemporary than classic, is An Owomoyela’s “Water Rights.”Tempting to be read as an allegory, it is
about an orbital that has its water supply from Earth tragically cut off.The residents face a decision: to fight to
restore their connection, or strike out on their own to find new sources of
water.The parallels to African
dependency on the West hovering in the back of my mind, it can nevertheless be
enjoyed for what it is.

An
eclectic piece that distances itself from generic sf is John Barnes’ “Swift as
a Dream and Fleeting as a Sigh.”Putting
the reader into the “mind” of an AI psychologist, it speeds through its own
mind while coping with the comparatively snail-paced thoughts of the couple
undergoing therapy, Laura and Tyward.A
well-conceived piece, it holds interest throughout.Another eclectic piece (not surprising given
the author) is Bruce Sterling’s “The Peak of Eternal Light.”A strongly satirical look at atrophied
cultural standards in a futuristic scenario, the tension is heightened by the
sub-crust Mercury setting, but it is certainly Sterling’s tongue-in-cheek humor
that drives the narrative.

In
the end, Edge of Infinity is an
average anthology of sf shorts.There
are a couple stand-out works: Cadigan’s “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out For
Sushi”, Rajaniemi’s “Tyche and the Ants,” and Sterling’s “The Peak of Eternal
Light.”But the two stories that are
part of larger universes (McAuley’s Macy Minnot’s Last Christmas…” and Corey’s
“Drive”), the stories that are so classic as to defy Strahan’s promise of a
Fourth Generation, and the general lack of unique material in the remainder
prevent the whole from achieving more.Enjoyable certainly, but ground-breaking, new generation material,
mostly not.

All
original to the anthology, the following are the thirteen stories selected for Edge of Infinity: